Membership Committee

Purpose:

To maintain and expand the membership of the Association, representing all of the constituent states. To provide a mentoring program that assist in the development an individual's skills and knowledge in the field of library and information science, and the Association.

Composition:

This committee is composed of one at-large member from each state and the SELA representative from each state. Members may form an individual state membership committee to aid in member recruitment. The appointed chairman shall be that individual's state at-large member of the committee.

Duties:

To recruit membership for the Southeastern Library Association.

To prepare promotional materials as they may be needed from time to time in campaigns for membership.

To arrange for and exhibit Southeastern Library Association membership materials at biennial conferences of the Association.

Organize a mentoring program for librarians, paraprofessionals, and library and information science students.

Process a mentor's and mentee's application for the Mentoring Program.

Match a mentor with a mentee for the Mentoring Committee

History:

The Membership Committee has been active since 1950. A letter from Dorothy Crosland, Acting Executive Secretary, stated, "For the first time in its history, SELA has a membership roll with annual dues." Until 1960, the Membership Committee was chaired by the Executive Secretary; for a time it was made up of the ALA membership chairs in the states who handled both association memberships. Its mission was originally stated, "to increase individual and other membership by direct method, personal approach, or other methods," and to publish the statistics periodically. In 2007, the Membership Committee changed its name to the Membership and Mentoring Committee.